Nozzle adjusting arrangement for a papermaking machine headbox

ABSTRACT

A headbox for a papermaking machine is disclosed with an arrangement for adjusting the upper lip of a tapered nozzle paper stock discharge passage. A cylindrical bearing is supported by headboxy front wall structure for rotation about a horizontal axis central to the cylindrical bearing. The upstream edge of the upper lip of the stock discharge nozzle is journaled in a socket defined in the outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing for supporting the upstream edge of the upper lip relative to the bearing. A linkage is connected to the cylindrical bearing for rotating the cylindrical bearing about its central axis and moving the upper lip with the upstream and downstream edges thereof moving along respective paths each having a horizontal component.

June 12, 1973 D. B. DE NOYER 3,733,910

NOZZLE ADJUSTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A PAPERMAKING MACHINE HEADBOX Filed Feb. 8; 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Eve- June 12, 1973 D. B. DE NOYER 3,733,910

NOZZLE ADJUSTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A PAPERMAKING MACHINE HEADBOX Filed Feb. 8, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IO 6 b5 2*? 37 64 f 33 1" 4M 'IIIIIIIIIIIII k35 June 12, 1973 D. B. DE NOYER 3,733,910

NOZZLE ADJUSTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A IAPERMAKING MACHINE HEADBOX Filed Feb. 8, 1972 4 Sheets -Sheet I5 June 12,1973 0. B. DE NOYER 3,733,910

NOZZLE ADJUSTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A PAPERMAKING MACHINE HEADBOX Filed Feb. 8, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent "ice 3,738,910 NOZZLE ADJUSTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A PAPERMAKING MACHINE HEADBOX Donald B. De N oyer, Beloit, Wis., assignor to Allis- Chalmers Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis. Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 81,823, Oct. 19, 1970. This application Feb. 8, 1972, Set. No.

Int. Cl. D21f 1/02 US. Cl. 162-347 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A headbox for a papermaking machine is disclosed with an arrangement for adjusting the upper lip of a tapered nozzle paper stock discharge passage. A cylindrical bearing is supported by headbox front wall structure for rotation about a horizontal axis central to the cylindrical hearing. The upstream edge of the upper lip of the stock discharge nozzle is journaled in a socket defined in the outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing for supporting the upstream edge of the upper lip relative to the bearing. A linkage is connected to the cylindrical bearing for rotating the cylindrical bearing about its central axis and moving the upper lip with the upstream and downstream edges thereof moving along respective paths each having a horizontal component. I

This is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 81,823, filed Oct. 19, 1970, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to the construction of a headbox for spreading dilute paper stock across the entire width of a paper web former and particularly to a construction of a discharge nozzle defined by an upper lip and a lower lip projecting from the box, with an arrangement for adjusting the upper lip of the nozzle to move horizontally away from and back toward the box, in addition to adjusting the vertical dimension of a slice opening defined between the upper lip and the lower lip.

Description of the prior art The prior art has long known of the desirability of being able to advance and retract the position of the downstream edge of the upper lip of a stock discharging nozzle relative to a web former upon which pulp stock is deposited, through a greater range of horizontal adjustments than is achieved by merely pivoting the upper lip about its upstream edge. One way known to the prior art for accomplishing such an adjustment is to provide for delivering stock to the headbox through flexible conduits and provide for moving the entire headbox toward and back away from the Web former. Such an arrangement is described in US. Pat. 2,308,370 of 1943. Another way known to the prior art, that utilizes nonflexible means for delivering stock to a headbox, provides for solely vertical movement of the upstream edge of an upper lip and both vertical and horizontal movement of the downstream edge of the upper lip. In such an arrangement a force applied to vertically raise or lower the upstream edge of the upper lip in a single vertical plane by an amount greater or less than a vertical component of movement of the downstream edge of the upper lip, necessarily results in the downstream edge of the upper lip moving toward or back away from a web former upon which pulp stock is deposited. Such an operation is shown in FIG. 4 of US. Pat. 2,782,692 of 1957. Still another way known to the prior art that utilizes nonflexible means to deliver stock to a headbox, does not limit movement of the up 3,738,916 Patented June 12, 1973 stream edge of an upper lip to solely vertical movement, but provides for both vertical and horizontal movement of the upstream edge of an upper lip by connecting the upstream edge of an upper lip to a tiltable headbox front wall which is pivotal about a horizontal axis parallel to the front wall. An example of such an arrangement is disclosed in US. Pat. 3,332,837 of 1967. Still another way known to the prior art that does not require flexible means to deliver stock to a headbox or a tiltable headbox front wall is shown in British Pat. 697,321 of 1953. This British patent discloses an arrangement in which the upstream edge of an upper lip is supported by a flat bearing surface above and to rear of the upper lip. This flat bearing surface is sloped downwardly in a direction toward the upper lip and supports the upstream edge of the upper lip for movement away from and back toward the headbox along a downwardly sloped plane defined by the flat bearing surface. Another arrangement such as shown in U.S. Pat. 3,562,106 utilizes two part upper lip having an upstream end that pivots about an axis that is fixed relative to a nonmovable headbox front wall.

Still another arrangement known to the prior art is disclosed in a trade journal of the Technical Association of the pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) February 1959, vol. 42, No. 2, page 143. This publication shows an arrangement in which the rear edge of an upper slice lip is supported to turn about a fixed horizontal axis by structure which does not contribute to the rigidity of the front Wall of the headbox. The manner in which the present invention differs from such prior art structures will appear from the description to follow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a headbox having a stationary front Wall, with a new and improved arrangement for moving both the upstream and downstream edges of an upper lip of a stock discharge nozzle, along respective paths with a horizontal component away from and back toward the headbox without the need to first shutdown the machine and with an arrangement which provides for greater structural rigidity and reduced deflection of the stationary front wall.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a headbox having a stationary front wall with a new and improved arrangement for moving both the upstream and downstream edges of an. upper lip of a stock discharge nozzle, along respective paths with a horizontal component away from and back toward the headbox, in addition to an arrangement for pivoting the donwstream edge of the upper lip about a horizontal axis through the up stream edge of the upper lip.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a headbox having a stationary front wall with a new and improved arrangement for moving both the upstream and downstream edges of an upper lip of a stock discharge nozzle, along respective paths with a horizontal component away from and back toward the headbox, in addition to providing the upper lip with a transverse hinge intermediate the ends thereof and an arrangement for raising and lowering the hinge relative to the upstream and downstream edges of the upper lip.

The improvement according to the present invention comprises providing a cylindrical bearing supported by headbox front wall structure for rotation about a horizontal axis central to the cylindrical bearing. The upstream edge of an upper lip of a stock discharge nozzle is journaled in a socket defined in the outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing for supporting the upstream edge of the upper lip for pivotal movement of the upper lip relative to the socket and cylindrical bearing. A linkage is connected to the cylindrical bearing for rotating the cylindrical bearing about its central axis and moving the upper lip with the upstream and downstream edges thereof moving along respective paths each having a horizontal component. A preferred embodiment also has a plurality of generally vertical slice opening adjusting rods connected to the upper lip close to the dovmstream edge for raising and lowering the downstream edge to pivot the upper lip about an axis central of the socket in the cylindrical bearing. A preferred embodiment of the present invention may also include an upper lip comprising two parts connected by a hinge parallel to the cylindrical bearing and intermediate the upstream and downstream edges of the upper lip and with a jack assembly connected to the hinge for raising and lowering the hinge and adjacent portions of the lip parts to adjust the internal configuration of the stock discharging nozzle.

Other features and objects of the invention that have been attained will appear from the more detailed description to follow with reference to three embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of a headbox according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective and in section, of the headbox shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective and in section, showing another embodiment of a headbox according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a third embodiment of a headbox according to this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a head box is shown comprising a vertical front wall assembly 11, a vertical rear wall assembly 12, a horizontal structure defining a box floor 13, and a horizontal structure defining a box top 14. A structure defining a pulp inlet chamber communicates through the rear wall assembly 12 and a slice assembly 16 projects outwardy from the front wall assembly 11 to define a tapered nozzle passage 17 that communicates through the front wall assembly 11 with a central flow passage 18 defined between the floor 13 and top 14 and the inlet chamber 15. The central flow passage extends from the rear wall assembly 12 to the front wall assembly 11.

The headbox 10 is provided with a stock entrance assembly 20 which includes a manifold 21 with a plurality of tubes 22 connecting manifold 21 to the inlet chamber 15. Referring to FIG. 2 the slice assembly 16 includes an upper slice lip 25 connected to the front wall assembly 11 at the level of the top of flow passage 18 in a manner that will appear from the description of the present invention to follow. A lower lip 26 is provided and connected to an apron board 27 which is part of the front wall assembly 11 at the level of the bottom of flow passage 18. The upper slice lip 25 has a downstream edge 28 which cooperates with lower lip 26 to define a slice opening 29 for discharging dilute pulp stock onto a Fourdrinier web forming wire 30 looped over a breast roll 31 shown in FIG. 1.

[Referring again to FIG. 2, a journal box 32 is shown comprising pieces 33, 34 having horizontally extending and vertically spaced edges 35, 36. The pieces 33, 34 define a journal box cavity 37 and an opening between the journal edges 35, 36 facing downwardly therefrom and away from the front wall 11. A cylindrical bearing 40 is journaled in the journal box 32. The cylindrical bearing 40 is rotatable about a horizontal axis 41 central to the cylindrical bearing 40. The axis 41 about which the cylindrical bearing can rotate is held by the journal box 32 in a position fixed in space and therefore at a fixed distance from the front wall assembly 11- The bear- 75 ing defines a horizontally extending socket 42 in the outer periphery thereof positioned to open through the journal box opening between the lips 35, 36.

A horizontally extending upstream edge 45 of the upper slice lip 25, is provided which in vertical cross section is rounded with a diameter greater than the thickness of an adjacent portion of the upper lip 25. A horizontally extending clamp bar 46 is connected to the cylindrical bearing 40 above the upstream edge 45 of the upper slice lip 25 for holding the rounded upstream edge 45 in the socket 42 for pivotal movement of the upper slice lip 25 relative to the socket 42.

Referring again to FIG. 1, an operating linkage 48 is provided for rotating the cylindrical bearing 40 about its central axis 41. The operating linkage 48 includes a crank arm 49 rigidly secured to the cylindrical bearing 40, a movable rod 50 pivotally connected on one end thereof, by a pivot pin 51, to crank arm 49, and a drive mechanism 52 that engages the end of rod 50 remote of the pin 51, to move rod 50 toward and back from the slice assembly 16 end of the headbox 10. The drive mechanism 52 may be of any suitable type, for example a reversible motor 53 may turn shaft 54 with a pinion gear (not shown) on shaft 54 engaging a rack gear (not shown) on rod 50, to apply linear movement to rod 50 upon rotary movement of shaft 54. Linear movement of rod 50 to turn crank arm 49 requires that the drive mechanism 52 be mounted for pivotal movement in a vertical plane and therefore drive mechanism 52 may be pivotally mounted on a bracket 55 by a pin 56.

With further reference to FIG. 1, a plurality of generally vertical adjusting rods 59 are shown that are connected to the upper slice lip 25 by a pivotal connection 60 adjacent the downstream edge 28. Each of the rods 59 is carried by a bushing 61 which in turn is carried by support arms 62 connected to shaft 63. The shaft 63 is journaled in a journal box 64 connected to the front wall assembly 11 above the slice assembly 16. An operating linkage 65 with a drive mechanism 66 is provided to rotate shaft 63 about an axis 67 central of shaft 63. The operating linkage 65 and drive mechanism 66 may be constructed in the same manner as has been described for the operating linkage 48 and drive mechanism 52. The drive mechanism 66 and linkage 65 are similarly operative to rotate shaft 63 to raise and lower rods 59 to adjust slice opening 29.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3, which is similar in all respects to the headbox shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, except that the headbox of FIG. 3 is provided with an upper slice lip 25a comprising two parts 70, 71. The upper slice lip parts 70, 71 are connected by a hinge 72 parallel to the cylindrical bearing 40 and intermediate the upstream edge 45 and the downstream edge 28 of the upper lip 25a. A jack assembly 73 is connected to the part of the upper slice lip 25a above and adjacent the hinge 72. The jack assembly 73 comprises a drive mechanism 74 which also may be constructed in the same manner as has been described for the drive mechanism 52 shown in FIG. 1. The drive mechanism 74 is shown in FIG. 3 as having a movable rod 75 and the drive mechanism is connected to the front wall assembly 11 and supported thereby with the rod 75 in a vertical position. The vertical rod 75 is connected to a horizontal shaft 76 journaled in a box 77 which is carried by shaft 76 and rod 75 to be pivotal about an axis 78 central of the shaft 76. The box 77 comprises an upper part 79 through which the rod 75 projects, and a lower part 80 having a rounded lower edge 81. The lower edge 81 is fitted in a socket 82 defined in the top of the part 70 and a clamp bar 83 connected to the top of the part 70 holds the edge 81 in socket 82.

A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment the front wall 11 encloses a chamber 18a as is provided in pressurized and vacuum headboxes such as shown for example in US. Pat. 3,515,-

635. As shown in FIG. 4, cylindrical bearing 40 is depending from the top of a front wall discharge opening 19 with the bearing axis 41 between vertical planes defined by a chamber side 11a and a slice side 11!; of front wall 11. A portion 33 of the front Wall 11 and a horizontally extending member 34, having horizontally extending and spaced edges 35, 56, define a journal box 32 with an opening facing downwardly therefrom. The cylindrical bearing 40 is journaled in the box 32 with the socket 42 being both below and on the chamber side 11a of axis 41. The upstream edge 45 of part '70 of the upper slice lip 25a is held for pivotal movement in socket 42 and bearing 40 may be rotated about axis 41 as described with reference to the other embodiments. In this embodiment a distributing roll 90 may be provided in close spaced relation to bearing 40 as shown.

The operation of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will now be described. Dilute paper stock enters manifold 21 and flows upwardly through the tubes 22 to the inlet chamber 15. From the inlet chamber 15 the stock flows through the flow passage 18 to the tapered nozzle passage 17 and out slice opening 29 to be deposited on the wire 30 passing over breast roll 31. The position of the upper slice lip 25 is adjusted by the operation of the linkages 48, 65. The linkage 48 may be operated by the drive mechanism 52 applying movement to the rod 50 toward and back away from the slice opening 29 end of the headbox 10. Such movement of rod 50 turns crank arm 49 and rotates the cylindrical bearing 40 about axis 41. Rotation of bearing 40 moves the upstream edge 45 of the upper slice lip 25 about axis 41 and the downstream edge 28 about the pivotal connection 60, both along paths having a vertical component and a horizontal component of movement in a vertical plane parallel to the centerline of the machine. The linkage 65 may also be operated to pivot the upper slice lip about the upstream edge to provide vertical movement of the downstream edge 28 with an additional component in a vertical plane parallel to the centerline of the machine. The axis 41 being fixed in space and central of a cylindrical bearing greatly simplifies designing the structure with axis 41 close to front wall 11 for rigid though adjustable support of the upstream edge 45 of the upper slice lip 25, and provides for smooth very small and accurate incremental adjustment of the position of edge 45 without interrupting stock flow and with greatly minimized possibilities for unwanted deflection of the upper lip 25.

The operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 additionally provides for raising and lowering of the hinge 72 and adjacent portions of the parts 70 and 71 to adjust the internal configuration of the tapered discharge nozzle passage 17. Such adjustment is provided by the drive mechanism 74 lifting and lowering rod 75 and box 77. Lifting and lowering box 77, which is pivotal about axis 78, raises and lowers hinge 72 with part 70* pivoting about its upstream edge 45 and part 71 pivoting about the pivotal connection 60.

The operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, from the position shown with solid lines to the position indicated by broken lines, or any setting intermediate those positions, is as has been described.

From the foregoing detailed description of the present invention it has been shown how the objects of the present invention have been attained in a preferred manner. However, modification and equivalents of the disclosed concepts such as readily occur to those skilled in the art are intended to be included in the scope of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the claims such as are or may hereafter be, appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a headbox for a papermaking machine having a stationary front wall assembly defining a pulp stock discharge opening, a slice assembly arranged and connected to the front wall to project outwardly thereform to define a tapered discharge nozzle passage away from the front wall discharge opening, and with the slice assembly comprising an upper lip and a lower lip, the improvement comprising:

(a) a cylindrical bearing journaled in the front wall assembly to rotate about a stationary horizontal axis central to the cylindrical bearing with the bearing axis being a fixed distance from the slice-assembly side of the front wall assembly and above the front Wall discharge opening;

(b) a horizontally extending socket defined in the outer periphery of the cylindrical bearing;

(c) a horizontally extending upstream edge of the upper slice lip journaled in the socket for rotary movement of the upper slice lip relative to the socket and cylindrical bearing; and

(d) an operating linkage connected to the cylindrical bearing for rotating the cylindrical bearing about its central axis to move the upstream edge of the upper slice lip relative to the front wall along a path having horizontal components away from and back toward the front wall for adjusting the tapered discharge passage.

2. In a headbox according to claim 1, a journal box connected to the front wall assembly above the front wall discharge opening, the journal box having a pair of horizontally extending and vertically spaced edges defining a journal box opening facing downwardly therefrom and away from the front wall, the cylindrical bearing journaled in the journal box with the socket between the journal box edges to carry the upstream edge of the upper slice lip at a level below the central axis of the cylindrical bearing.

3. In a headbox according to claim 2, the upstream edge of the upper lip of the slice assembly is, in vertical cross section, rounded with a diameter greater than the thickness of an adjacent portion of the upper slice lip, and a horizontally extending clamp bar is connected to the cylindrical bearing above the upstream edge of the upper slice lip for holding the rounded upstream edge of the upper slice lip in the socket for pivotal movement of the upper slice lip relative to the socket.

4. In a headbox according to claim 1, a plurality of generally vertical adjusting rods connected to the upper slice lip adjacent the downstream edge thereof for raising and lowering the downstream edge of the upper slice lip to pivot the upper slice lip about an axis central to the socket in the cylindrical bearing.

5. In a headbox according to claim 1, the upper slice lip comprising two parts connected by a hinge parallel to the cylindrical bearing and intermediate the upstream and downstream edges of the upper slice lip, and a jack assembly supported by the front Wall assembly above the upper slice lip with the jack assembly connected to the hinge and operative to raise and lower the hinge and adjacent portions of the parts of the upper slice lip to adjust the internal configuration of the tapered discharge nozzle passage.

6. In a headbox for a pa-permaking machine having a stock chamber enclosed in part by a stationary front wall assembly defining a pulp stock discharge opening, a slice assembly arranged and connected to the front wall to project outwardly therefrom to define a discharge nozzle passage away from the front wall discharge opening, and with the slice assembly comprising an upper lip and a lower lip, the improvement comprising:

(a) a bearing having a cylindrical bearing surface journaled in the front Wall assembly to rotate about a stationary horizontal axis central to the cylindrical bearing surface with the bearing axis being in -a fixed position relative to the front wall assembly and in a horizontal plane above the lower lip;

(b) a horizontally extending socket defined in the outer periphery of the bearing;

(c) a horizontally extending upstream edge of the upper slice lip journaled in the socket for rotary movement of the upper slice lip relative to the socket and bearing; and

(d) an operating linkage connected to the bearing for rotating the hearing about its central axis to move the upstream edge of the upper slice lip relative to the front wall along a path having horizontal components away from the back toward the front wall for adjusting the discharge passage.

7. In a headbox according to claim 6, the bearing being journaled in the front wall assembly to be depending from the top of the front wall discharge opening and with the bearing axis between vertical planes defined by the chamber side and the slice side of the front wall assembly.

8. In a headbox according to claim 7 the socket in which the upstream edge of the upper slice lip pivots is both below and on the chamber side of the axis about which the bearing rotates.

9. In a headbox according to claim 6, the bearing being journaled in the front wall assembly by means of a journal box defined in the front wall assembly at the top of the UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,556,935 1/1971 Amneus et a1. 162347 X 2,418,600 4/1947 Ostertag et al. 1 62-344 X 2,750,854 6/1956 McArn 162342 2,728,272 12/1955 Hisey 162347 X 3,010,510 11/1961 Cirrito 162-344 3,562,106 2/1971 Beck et al 162347 X S. LEON BASHORE, Primary Examiner R. H. TUSHIN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 162-342 

